In memory of Ian Stott (1934-2020)

(Further reading, via Biff Tannen’s Almanac)

120+4 min We’re still playing.

120+3 min Holden goes another run. He has been quiet for much of the game but now he looks like he could go all night.

120+2 min: SO CLOSE FROM HOLDEN! Rick Holden comes within a few inches of winning it for Oldham! It was a spectacular effort, and with his right foot as well. Pallister’s header came to him in the inside-left channel, 30 yards from goal. He shaped to go down the line, as usual, then shuffled infield and swished a brilliant rising shot that arrowed into the side netting. Leighton was scrambling desperately across his line; I’m not sure he would have got there. This is unbelievable stuff!

120+2 min Another booming cross from Holden is beautifully held by Leighton, just in front of Marshall.

120+1 min We’re still playing. There can’t be much stoppage time surely.

120 min: FINE BLOCK BY HALLWORTH! Webb’s lofted pass is headed back infield by Robins towards Hughes in the area. He launches himself towards the bouncing ball and is just beaten to it by Hallworth, who bravely punches clear and is clattered by Hughes as a result. “There’s no more fearsome sight at a bouncing ball than Mark Hughes bearing down on you,” says Trevor Brooking on BBC1.

119 min: MARSHALL HEADS WIDE! Don’t these idiots know they can come back for a replay? Both sides are chasing a winner as if abolishing the poll tax depends on it. Holden, who looks fresher than he has all day, storms past Phelan and hits a booming cross beyond the far post. Marshall gets to it before Gibson but the angle is too tight and his header goes wide of the near post.

118 min: GREAT EFFORT BY WEBB! Wallace’s outswinging corner from the right found Webb, who pulled into some space at the near post and hit a sweet flying volley that was brilliantly blocked by Milligan.

117 min United are really pushing for a winner. Webb eases a pass into the area for Hughes, who backs into Andy Holden and lays it off for Wallace. He is about to shoot when Barlow gets a vital foot in.

115 min Wallace’s cross just bounces away from Robins in the area. This is an absolute free-for-all, with both teams swinging weary haymakers in the general direction of one another.

114 min Pallister goes on a spectacular run out of defence, beating four Oldham players before laying the ball off to Gibson. His first touch is a custodial offence, for the second time today, and he gives the ball straight to Warhurst.

113 min: GOOD SAVE FROM HALLWORTH! Webb, who must be on about his fourth wind, storms down the right, has a quick look and lofts a superb cross towards Robins at the near post. He gets in front of Irwin and flicks a header across goal that is smartly saved by Hallworth. There would have been a neat symmetry in Robins taking United to Wembley, given that he started it all with that winner at Nottingham Forest in the third round.

113 min: McCLAIR MISSES A GREAT CHANCE! Now it’s United’s turn. Webb holds off Barrett on the right of the area and stretches to manufacture a cross. Irwin takes the ball off the toe of Hughes but it breaks for McClair, who thrashes into orbit! In his defence he was under pressure from the sliding Milligan, but he wasn’t exactly the personification of composure.

112 min Warhurst lays the ball off to Redfearn, whose rising drive from 20 yards whistles over the bar. Oldham have a spring in their step again. Adrenaline 1-0 Fatigue.

111 min “Hi Rob,” says Dene Brown. “As I currently live in Edinburgh, where the match is not being shown, I’ve had to drive south of the border to watch it. We’ve taken my mate’s TV/Radio/Cassette player to watch it on. It only has a 4-inch screen. Black and white of course. It is well beyond its sell by date. There are three of us in my car in a layby on the A1 trying to watch the action. I hope the battery lasts until the end of extra time.”

In a different way, I suspect a few of the players share the sentiment of that last sentence.

109 min Joe Royle has an even broader smile on his face now. How can you not love Oldham Athletic? The intrepid brilliance of this team of cast-offs and nobodies almost brings a lump to the throat. They play like a team that has overdosed on Dead Poets Society. Carpe diem? They’ve seized the whole bloody season!

108 min: GOAL! Oldham 3-3 Manchester United (Palmer 108) For the umpteenth time this season, Oldham conjure an equaliser with time running out. The goal came from the free-kick that was given for Pallister’s foul on Marshall. Pallister headed it away, to loud cheers, but then Robins’ pass was intercepted by Milligan.

He chested it down and slid an instant pass to find Marshall in space on the left. United’s defence, who were in the process of pushing out after Pallister’s header, were all over the place. Marshall screwed a perfect first-time pass across the six-yard box, where Palmer walked the ball into the net.

“This is the stuff of schoolboy comics!” says Barry Davies. They were two great passes – first from Milligan and then Marshall, who threaded it perfectly between Bruce and Leighton. The ball teased Leighton towards it before running beyond him to Palmer, who could not miss. Brilliant!

106 min Marshall chases his own header and is hacked down by Pallister. He looks like a complete pain in the arse, and I say that with love. He’s relentless. All he does to defenders is nag, nag, nag, nag, NAG!

Pallister injured himself in the act of fouling Marshall and looks a bit groggy. United have no substitutions left. Jim McGregor wafts some smelling salts under his nose; I hope he didn’t mix them up with the poppers.

106 min After a quick changeover, United kick off from left to right.

105+3 min Martin has surrendered to cramp, with Mark Robins replacing him. It’s not quite a like-for-like substitution. Robins will play as a makeshift left-winger, with Colin Gibson dropping to left-back.

105+2 min: FINE DEFENDING BY BARRETT! Ince finds the angle to release Wallace on the right with a great pass. He slides a low cross into the six-yard box towards Martin, who looks set to score only the second goal of his career (and he knew bugger all about the first) when Barrett appears to poke the ball off him and behind.

At first it looked like Martin had shanked it but I’m pretty sure Barrett got a touch first. Des Walker couldn’t have played better than Barrett today. I’m not sure Franco Baresi could have played better.

105+1 min: GOOD SAVE BY LEIGHTON! Barlow’s long ball forward somehow ran all the way through to Marshall, who got the wrong side of Bruce and poked it towards goal. Leighton flew from his line to narrow the angle and make an excellent block.

105 min Joe Royle has moved Neil Redfearn infield to play behind the front two. Oldham are now playing with one centre-back, Andy Holden. One centre-back! Barrett has gone to right-back, with Irwin moving into midfield.

Alex Ferguson responds by dropping Neil Webb into midfield to give extra protection. United are now playing 4-5-1, Oldham a kind of 3-4-1-2. Is that even a formation?

103 min A wishy-washy punch from Leighton almost causes problems for United, but Redfearn is penalised for pushing Webb. Now Webb is down with cramp, which is probably fair enough after so long out.

101 min Lee Martin, United’s young left back, is struggling with cramp. Joe Royle is still smiling, still having the time of his life. The man’s an animal.

100 min “It’s Joe Royle’s 41st birthday today,” says Alex Metcalfe, “which might explain why he looks so happy.”

That and the fact he’s in charge of the most charming football team in the country.

98 min Irwin’s cross goes straight out of play. With one or two exceptions, Ince the most notable, both teams look really tired. I’m amazed Oldham have anything left at all, this being their 461st game of the season.

95 min Roger Palmer, Oldham’s record goalscorer, comes on to replace Ritchie. He has had a fine game but, like Robson, he has been out for a while and he’s not in the first flush of youth. His race is run.

95 min Some good first-time passing from Webb, Wallace and McClair threatens to put Hughes through on goal. Barrett comes across, and you know the rest. He has been magnificent.

94 min “Big decision on Wednesday night if Oldham manager an equaliser,” says Vic Rushton. “ITV are showing Arsenal v Aston Villa live. A vital game in the title race or the replay of this on the BBC. What will people be watching?”

Despite the considerable temptations of Elton Welsby, I’ll be watching BBC1 if there is a replay. Nine times out of ten, the FA Cup > the title race.

91 min: BRUCE CLEARS OFF THE LINE! Well, sort of. Holden ran at Phelan and stood up a deep cross to Redfearn beyond the far post. He got above Martin and nodded it down to Marshall, whose snapshot was kicked away by Bruce in the six-yard box. Leighton was right behind him and probably had it covered, but it was another chance for Oldham.

91 min Oldham kick off from left to right.

90 min The camera cuts to the Oldham bench, where Joe Royle has a huge smile on his face. It’s not even a forced or nervous smile; he looks like he’s having the time of his life.

89 min More desperate United defending, this time from Bruce, who does really well to head Marshall’s cross away.

87 min This is a really strong finish from Oldham. Irwin’s cross just clears Marshall and is headed away desperately by Phelan.

86 min: CHANCE FOR OLDHAM! Marshall may look like an Emmerdale character but he’s a serious player and has been a handful for United all day. On this occasion, Rick Holden swings the ball towards him just inside the United half. He controls it deftly, slips away from Pallister and charges into the area from the left. Ritchie is waiting in the middle but Marshall goes for the shot and slices it well wide of the near post. The ball bobbled hideously, in his defence. But had he looked to his right he would have seen Ritchie waiting in front of an open goal.

84 min Oldham make their first substitution: Paul Warhurst, a lightning-quick 20-year-old who was once on Manchester City’s books, replaces Nick Henry in midfield.

84 min: A DOUBLE CHANCE FOR UNITED! Wallace moseys infield from the right and flicks an insouciant through pass to Webb. He runs away from Andy Holden and smashes a first-time shot that is beaten away by Hallworth. It bounces back towards Hughes, whose vicious shot is blocked on the six-yard line by – yep – Earl Barrett.

80 min Rick Holden, who has been very quiet for most of the game, is starting to look a little more dangerous. His cross is very well held under pressure by Leighton.

80 min This is becoming a bit repetitive, I realise, but there’s some more majestic defending from Earl Barrett to report. Ince slid a through pass to Hughes, who tried to run the last man Barrett and was swiftly disabused of the notion.

77 min Ince storms through the midfield before being legged up by Henry. He gets up looking for a row with the referee – but Joe Worrall settles for a word with Henry. There have still been no yellow cards, which is either brilliant refereeing or an egregious display of gross negligence, I can’t decide which.

77 min What a cup tie! What a day of cup ties!

76 min A speculative ball into the United area almost finds Redfearn. Bruce comes across to make a good interception.

72 min The first substitution: Danny Wallace replaces Bryan Robson, who has run himself into the ground. He hasn’t been as influential as usual in general play, probably because he’s about 40 per cent fit, but he imposed his will on the game with that equaliser in the first half. Brian McClair will take Robson’s place in midfield, with Wallace moving to the right wing.

71 min Now Oldham break three on three, but Redfearn delays too long and is eventually dispossessed by Pallister. Ritchie gives him a heartfelt brollocking for holding on to the ball too long.

70 min This is a decent spell for United, with the tireless Ince driving them forward. With 20 minutes remaining, all bets are off.

70 min: GREAT DEFENDING BY IRWIN! Webb played a good pass through to Hughes, who took the ball in his stride and was about to shoot when Irwin dived in to poke the ball away.

68 min Barrett is having a storming game. He beats Robson on the halfway line, then sells Hughes a dummy and waltzes past him as well. He’s a Rolls Royce of a defender.

68 min Irwin’s dangerous long cross towards Ritchie is cleared calmly under extreme pressure by Phelan.

68 min McClair puts Gibson clean through on goal – but the flag goes up against Webb to his right. Gibson might be glad that it did, even though it was a very dubious decision, because his first touch was a custodial offence and ran through to Hallworth.

66 min Redfearn has a goal disallowed for a push by Ritchie in the build-up. It was a confident finish from close-range, though everyone else had stopped playing by that stage. I’m not certain it was a foul by Ritchie, mind you. I’d like to see that again.

66 min United have only been given one penalty all season, on the opening day against Arsenal, and they missed that.

65 min: UNITED HAVE A BIG PENALTY APPEAL TURNED DOWN! Martin cuts infield from the left and floats an angled cross towards Webb, who goes down after a clumsy challenge from behind by Barlow. It was somewhere between a fair shoulder charge and an unfair push. Webb, and most of the United players, were certain it was the latter. Barlow certainly put hands on Webb, though it wasn’t as strong as Leighton’s push on Ritchie in the first half.

64 min Rick Holden tries to run Phelan, who matches him for speed and takes the ball confidently. Phelan has played Holden expertly until now.

63 min Leighton’s shorts were ripped during the collision. He whips them off, to a chorus of wolf whistles, so that the physio Jim McGregor can put on a new pair. I hope he gets paid well. Marshall then walks up to apologise and shake Leighton’s hand. There was nothing malicious in the challenge; they both threw themselves at the ball.

62 min Another long ball towards Marshall, this time from Ritchie, leads to a collision between Marshall and Leighton. Both missed the ball singular, but Marshall’s studs went right into Leighton’s plural.

61 min: GOOD SAVE BY LEIGHTON! Irwin’s long pass down the inside-right channel is gloriously controlled on the run by Marshall. He galumphs into the box, away from Pallister, and hits a stinging drive from a tight angle that is beaten away by Leighton. The power of the shot almost knocked Leighton off his feet.

61 min “The contrast between the two managers is stark,” says Peter Harthan. “Ferguson has looked out of his depth ever since he came to England from Scottish football and surely won’t last long. Royle has a long future and will probably be England manager in time, mark my words.”

He might be the next England manager. There are strong rumours that he’s on the FA shortlist if they need to replace Bobby Robson after the World Cup. As for Ferguson, our own David Lacey made a good point yesterday - that, if United win the FA Cup this season, it could be the equivalent of Matt Busby’s breakthrough triumph at Wembley in 1963. They were almost relegated that season as well. Five years later they were European champions.

60 min Hughes’s attempted through pass to McClair is blocked by Barrett. The ball runs loose between them, at which point Hughes boots Barrett straight up in the air. That was a tackle of pure frustration, although it’s probably generous to call it a tackle. It was a hack, essentially, and I’m slightly surprised Hughes didn’t have his name taken by Joe Worrall.

60 min And now Barrett does some more superb defending, coolly dispossessing Hughes down the United right. He then ignores a sliding tackle from Gibson, dummying him with a hint of disdain before passing the ball back to Hallworth. This kid is a class act.

59 min The pace is still frenetic, with no sign of either team slowing down. Ince does some more excellent defensive work, making up lots of ground to nick the ball off Henry. He has put out a lot of fires in front of the United back four.

57 min “I can see Ferguson getting the boot in the morning,” says Andy Poyner. “I am enjoying this in the Platt Lane End instead of studying for my GCSEs.”

56 min Ince, the last man in the United defence, does well to hold off Ritchie and Redfearn before being fouled. There’s a hint of aggro but then the pair shake hands and Ince pats Ritchie on the balding head.

55 min Oldham have been much the better team since half-time. United look like a team who are too aware of the consequences of defeat for their own good.

52 min: GLORIOUS SKILL FROM MILLIGAN! This deserves to go one of those ‘best of’ Christmas VHSes. He was running towards his own goal, having intercepted a loose ball, with Ince and Webb on his tail. Then, like a pickpocket scooting down an alleyway, he lost them both with a high-speed Cruyff turn.

Ince instinctively stuck out a leg and brought Milligan down, but it’s a reflection of how well Milligan had duped him that, by the time Ince’s momentum stopped, he had run so far that he was out of shot. What a player Milligan is: dynamic, composed, tough, intelligent, very mature for a 23-year-old. If he can’t get in Ireland’s World Cup squad – and it doesn’t look like he will – they must be in bloody good shape.

51 min United have started the second half as sluggishly as they did the first. Joe Worrall has a word with Steve Bruce – not about United’s sluggishness, it’s none of his business, but because of a very late tackle on Ritchie.

50 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “On the Barrett goal: surely, in such a technologically advanced society, it can’t be beyond the wit of man to come up with a foolproof method of deciding whether a player is offside or not? Some sort of video assisted linesman, if you will, or VIDAL for short. I doubt it’ll ever happen, though. And anyway, what would we moan about if all decisions were correct thanks to the wonders of TV evidence?”

‘Technologically advanced’! I guess one of us didn’t spend all of last night unsuccessfully trying to load R-Type on the Spectrum.

49 min Ritchie loses Pallister with another classy turn on the halfway line. Along with Webb, has been the cmost imaginative player on the pitch.

47 min Ritchie holds off Ince, surges away from Robson and stabs a pass towards Marshall on the edge of the D. He drags his shot well wide under pressure from Pallister.

46 min United begin the second half.

45+2 min Webb twists away from Barlow on the right and curls a wicked cross that bounces across the six-yard box before being put behind by Irwin.

45 min Ritchie holds off Pallister on the left and plays a classy reverse pass towards Henry, who is tracked all the way by the increasingly impressive Ince.

43 min Gibson clips a pass forward to Hughes, who holds off Andy Holden just outside the area and hammers a left-footed shot that is held by Hallworth. That’s much better from Hughes, who has spent large parts of the first half in Earl Barrett’s pocket.

42 min The resulting corner, taken by Webb on the left, flashes past Hallworth and right across the face of goal.

41 min: NOW ROBSON ALMOST GIVES UNITED THE LEAD! We’ve had three near misses into the space of 90 seconds, culminating in this chance for United. McClair, found by Hughes, clipped a superb, dipping cross from the right. Webb lost Barrett smartly but then lost his balance. Behind him, Irwin got to the ball a split-second before Gibson and diverted it partially away from goal.

Robson charged imperiously onto the loose ball and looked certain to get his second, only for Irwin and Barrett – who had both been hurtling towards their own goal - to change direction and throw themselves at the ball to block the shot. Six or seven players ended up in a heap, including Robson, a demonstration of the total commitment on both sides. This is pulsating stuff!

40 min: OFF THE LINE BY INCE! Oldham almost take the lead from the corner. Leighton, under pressure from Ritchie, could only flap it straight to Henry in the D. He cracked a shot that went through the crowd, including Leighton, and was kicked away by Ince on the near post.

40 min: CHANCE FOR OLDHAM! Redfearn plays a good pass down the right to Irwin, who charges into a big space behind the United defence. Eventually he gets his head up and lofts a precise cross to the far post, where Marshall’s header is crucially blocked by Pallister.

The ball runs loose to Rick Holden, who is challenged by Pallister at the expense of a corner. The first intervention was the most important: with Leighton wrong-footed, Marshall’s header was going in.

38 min Oldham have responded really well to the disappointment of United’s equaliser. Milligan and Henry are still having the better of Robson and Ince in midfield. It’s a cracking battle, mind, and Ince has probably been United’s best player.

35 min Leighton takes a risk by blatantly shoving Ritchie in the back at an Oldham corner. Technically that should have been a penalty, even though it would have been soft. Leighton just wanted Ritchie out of his personal space, but you’re not really supposed to use both hands to push someone in the back. Joe Worrall definitely saw it, because he had a word with Leighton before the next corner was taken.

34 min Rick Holden gets away from Phelan to win a corner. Nothing comes of it but that will encourage Oldham, as it’s the first time Holden has had any joy down the left. He’s usually such an influential player.

31 min An Oldham free-kick is headed away to Redfearn on the edge of the area. He volleys it into orbit.

31 min Bruce is penalised for a late tackle on Ritchie. There’s a heck of a din now, 95 per cent of it from the United fans.

31 min: Brilliant defending from Barrett! United almost made it two in two minutes. Phelan drove a long angled pass up to Webb, who cushioned an excellent header into the path of McClair on the edge of the box. He was shaping to knock the ball into the area when Barrett flew through the air to stud the ball away. Plenty of the United fans appealed for a free-kick/penalty/ANYTHING REFEREE FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE IT’S BEEN A LONG SEASON, but the players realised it was a fair tackle.

30 min Alex Ferguson will be thrilled that the two players he gambled on, Webb and Robson, combined for the goal. It was a really good ball from Webb, a serene touch of class in this frenetic game.

29 min The Oldham captain Milligan, who is having a marvellous game in midfield, cushions a fine volleyed pass to Rick Holden on the left. His dangerous cross is excellently claimed under pressure by Leighton.

27 min Barrett dispossesses Hughes with another classy piece of defending. Ince then ploughs through Marshall, and snarls at the referee Joe Worrall for having the temerity to give a free-kick. He’s a fine player, Ince, but he’s got quite a mouth on him.

26 min “This match might be being played on grass, but Boundary Park is clearly the future,” says Matt Dony. “I’m pretty certain that, in ten years, all top-level football will be played on artificial turf. I’d stake my reputation on it.”

24 min Ritchie spots Leighton slightly off his line and tries an imaginative flat chip that drifts a few yards wide.

23 min “That Irwin lad looks pretty decent for Oldham,” says Charlie in Sheffield. “I can see him ending up at a big club like Man City next season.”

And get in the team ahead of Paul Lake? I don’t think so.

22 min Phelan’s long throw is collected by Hughes at the near post. He plays a bit of keepy-uppy, shielding the ball from Barrett, before volleying a cross on the turn that is stabbed away by Irwin in the six-yard box. That was a vital clearance because Robson had arrived late in the box with considerable intent.

22 min For the 42342393245425th time in his career, Barry Davies nails it:

If there’s a word that would sum up Manchester United’s performance so far, it is ‘uncomfortable’: all over the pitch, they are not enjoying what they are being asked to do.

There’s another word that would sum up United’s performance, mind you, but only after 9pm.

22 min Hughes rumbles into the area and is muscled off the ball by the impressive Barrett. He runs the ball to safety and is then hoofed up in the air by Robson, who gets a talking-to from Joe Worrall. Barrett has been the best player on the pitch thus far. Never mind his goal; he has done an immaculate marking job on Hughes.

21 min After a bit of a scramble near the halfway line, Irwin lobs a clever pass over the top of the United defence. It looks like Ritchie is through for a moment, but Ince shows admirable pace to get back and clear the danger.

20 min “Despite that early goal I don’t fancy Oldham,” says Vic Rushton. “They were absolutely dreadful last Saturday in losing at Ayresome Park, despite Boro also having a Wembley hangover. Can also see there being a few goals as Hallworth and Leighton have been performing erratically all season.”

They’ve been the livelier team so far, though you do worry about how much they’ll have in the tank if it’s still tight in the second half.

19 min Webb, running away from goal on the right, digs out a splendid cross that is headed away by the under-pressure Irwin. Webb, on whom United are so dependent for creativity, is starting to look a bit livelier. He’s playing very high up the pitch, almost as a second centre-forward.

17 min There have been lots of offsides at both ends. That often leads to a ponderous, stop-start game, but not today. As soon as play resumes, both teams start charging round at 100mph again. It’s not entirely sophisticated but it has made for rollocking entertainment.

15 min Ince tries to surge away from Milligan, who matches him for speed and then dispossesses him with a beautifully judged sliding tackle. He plays the ball up to Ritchie, who loses Pallister with a lovely dummy.

The move came to nothing in the end but it showed both the graft and the class of this wonderful Oldham side. It’s a minor scandal that Andy Ritchie is not playing in Division One. It might be too late for him, at the age of 29, unless Oldham get promoted. But one way or another, it’s a matter of time before Milligan is playing in the top flight.

14 min Webb’s inswinging corner from the left is superbly claimed under pressure by Hallworth, arching his back like a limbo dancer in mid-air.

12 min Webb suddenly finds a bit of space on the right of the area and wins United’s first corner. It’s half cleared by Oldham and then headed down to Ince in the D. He waits for it to bounce and leathers a left-footed shot that is well blocked by Barlow.

11 min United have been really scruffy in possession. Hughes keeps getting caught offside, and their playmaker Webb has barely touched the ball. He’s nowhere near the pace of the game.

10 min The first signs of life from United. A long goalkick from Leighton is headed on by Hughes towards Gibson, and Andy Holden comes across to make a tremendous last-ditch challenge on the edge of the area.

8 min United are behind for the first time in this season’s FA Cup. They don’t have the happiest memories of this ground, either, having been plugged 5-1 in the derby last September.

7 min Bruce is penalised for a foul on Ritchie. There have been some crunching tackles all over the pitch.

7 min The replays of the goal aren’t conclusive on the Barrett offside, though my hunch is that he was onside when the cross came him. One thing that replays do confirm is that Leighton should have done better. He was under pressure from Ritchie, it’s true, but it was still a pretty straightforward take for a keeper of his class.

5 min A big scare for United! Ritchie’s cross from the right led to a mix-up between Leighton and Phelan, who was spooked by the hot breath of Rick Holden behind him. In the end Phelan knocked the ball past the outrushing Leighton and just wide of his own goal.

4 min In the build-up to this game, Alex Ferguson said that Oldham are one of the quickest teams in England, and that they would try to win the game in the first half hour. His prediction looks right; it has been a seriously frantic start to this game.

3 min Bryan Robson, who doesn’t really understand the concept of feeling your way back after injury, introduces himself to Andy Ritchie with a ferocious man-and-ball tackle. “The ball must have squealed!” says the BBC commentator Barry Davies with a squeal of his own.

2 min United are playing with Mike Phelan at right-back, Brian McClair on the right of midfield and Neil Webb much further forward, just behind Mark Hughes. Oldham are in their expected 4-4-2 shape.

1 min Peep peep! Oldham kick off from right to left as we watch. They are in their blue Bovis kit. United, sponsored by you-know-who, are in red.

Here we go, then. Oldham v Manchester United, for the right to place Crystal Palace at Wembley next month.

There’s another reason why so many people fancy United today: the match is being played on grass. All Oldham’s giant-killings have taken place on the plastic pitch at Boundary Park, which is also where they’ve picked up 42 of their 57 league points.

But they also played well in drawing away to Everton and Southampton before finishing them off in a replay, and Graham Taylor and George Graham – whose Villa and Arsenal sides were hammered at Boundary Park – both said it had diddly squat to do with the pitch.